Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-05-23
NEW YORK, Nav 2l


rist and was due at her pier today. The
Brttanic, which is conveying her into port,
sailed for Liverpool last Wednesday. The
British Queen is bound in.
/ LATER-Steamer Celtic, from Liverpool,
and the Brittanic, from New York for Liver
pool, collided MAY 10 at 5.25 Z. NJ, $50
miles east OF Sandy Hook. Both reached
Sandy Hook bar at one o'clock this morning
and were compelled 10 remain there owing to
the dense fog. The disabled steamers were
accompanied to Sandy Hook by the steamers
British Queen and Marengo to render aid if
necessary. Four of the Britannic's steerage
passengers were lost. All are well aboard
the Celtic. The sea was smooth at the time
of the collision. The Britannia was struck on
The port side and considerably damaged. 1t
being found that the vessel was not likely to
founder, such boats within hail and sccu-
pants were received on board. Others had
boarded the Celtic. A pad was made and
placed over the hole in the BrItannic's side
and she was turned about for New York, hav
ing arranged with the Celtic to keep COM
pany.
The saddest and most deplorable result of
the accident is that several steersge passen-
gers who were lying about aft at the time of
the collision were killed and several others
injured The Celtic's bow was stove in but
otutlWIS tut ftssel WAS uOt lbjuItu. ut
collision occurred during dense fog.
Another rep 1T of the collision says: The
Celtic struck the Britannia on the port side
at the mizzen mast, only few feet astern OF
the after end of the boiler room. The miz
zen rigging, ronwork and all, was wrenched
from its tastenings, the rail was torn from its
foundation as far aft as the jigger, and the
after turtle back was carried into the air AID
overheard as though it was made of paste
board As the striking steamer glanced
along the side it rebounded twice, smashing
two small boats aud bending the heavy iron
force pump that stood near the butchers
quarters over like a piece of tin. AS the
bow struck it caught steerage passenger,
| crushed him against the iron and cut his
body in two. girl named Robinson, with
her mother aud brother, on their way to
England, were also crushed and killed. The
scenes that followed are variously described.
L. Storey Smith of Boston, passenger on
the Britannia, says there was dense fog at
the time and horns were blowing continually
between $50 and 6 p. NJ. Thursday. We
heard the tog horn of another vessel and
went on deck and could see the large black
hull of steamer bearing down on US. Sig
nails t. slow believe were given on our YES
sell We were proceeding along at the regu
lar fog speed while the other steamer which
proved to be the Celtic, seemed to have little
NOR headwav on. As the approaching yes
sci discovered us she changed her course
somewhat and struck US obliquelv a0at the
steerage gangway, and reboundl1g struck
again and again but with less force
each time, and finally slipped along
undeS our steamer and came up partly
on the other, starboard side. There were
evidently orders to launch the boats. although
did no. hear any gwen, for half dozen
boats were manned and launched The steer
age passengers made stampede for the
starbosrd stern Of the boats, but were driven
back by the officers and crew and the ladies
allowed to embark first. Three of the boats
got off safely and carried the passengers to
the Celtic. As the fourth was about to leave
Capt. Perry ordered it to remain, saying there
was no cause to fear that the ship would
founder. lie admitted that the fourth COM
partment was full of water but said the dam
age was limited to that. Smith apoke highly
of the di, cipine of The crew and conduct of
The officers
Tae steerage passengers tell a diff rent.
story. Thirty or more of them found quar-
iers tonight at the expense OF the White Star
line. Among them was Mrs. Robinson,
whose daughter was killed She spoke Bit
terly of the treatment she received st the
hands of the steamers officials. She SAID
that after her child was killed it was repre-
sented to her by the stewsrdess that the little
one was alive and doing we'll. At the time
she was giving all her attention to a fourteen
year old boy, George Arthur, whose arm had
received compound fracture from falling
from the rigging. When she next inquired
for her daughter she found that the body had
been flung overheard
Some men passengers say that at the time
of the collision the fog was not so thick but
that they could see the Celtic two hundred
feet or more away. They said no fog horn
was blowing out he Brittauic was moving
slowly. They charge That when efforts were
made to lower the boats the gear was hard
ana rusty as though it had not been usel in
a long time.
There was sudden rush mostly by the
men, tor the boats, until Cap. Perry drsE a
revolver and threatened to shoot the next
man who attempted to enter boat The
crew, including ftemen and stokers, we're
among the most violent in their at empts to
lump into the boats, several succeeding. Al
though there was not a sufficient number OF
lfe-preservers for the passengers, these men
seized all they could lay hands on. Fhe wife
! OF the man who was crushed against the
pump, when she saw her husbands body
thrown into the sea, became frantic and
shrieked that she wanted to follow him, and
would have cast herself over the side had she
NOT been restrained by another passenger.
Eight or ten persons were injured BY the
, ironwork as it fell or the woodwork as it was
crushed IN. Four of these were brought to
the ST. Vincent hospital. They were boy,
George Robinson; Patrick Burk, aged AZ, of
Wilkesbarre, Pa, who was taking his wife
: on trip to Ireland; VIM. Lawler who was
| on the way from ST. Louis to Ireland, and a
young woman named Rose Kelly. Rose kel-
t lev was injured about the back and legs.
The steersge passengers state that the known
, killed included three men, woman and a
girl, but they added that two or three others
{ who they had not seen since the collision
!. might be among the dead and we're thrown
overheard. All the bodies were thrown
over during the night after the collision.